Fire-extinguishing attachment for tractors



July 24; 1951 J. E. HURLBERT 2,561,701 FIRE" EXTINGUISHING ATTACHMENTFOR TRACTORS Original Filed Jan. 27, 1947 2 Shee'ts-Sheet 1- inventor mma m rmm' M (Iltomeg y 1951 J. E. HURLBERT 2,561,701

FIRE EXTINGUISHING ATTACHMENT FOR TRACTORS Original Filed Jan. 27, 19472 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 24, 1951 LLIU NITED "STATES PATENT OFFICEFIRE-EXTINGT JISHING ATTACHMENT FOR TRACTORS John E. Hurlbert, Dishnian,Wash.

' Substituted for application Serial No. 724,676,

January 27, 19 47. This application November 19, 1949, Serial No.128,422 g 3 Claims. (C1. 169--1) "This invention relates to a fireextinguishing apparatus for use upon a tractor, the present applicationconstituting a substitution for my for' t eir application filed January27, 1947 and having SerQ No. 724,676. 7

O'ne object of the invention is to provide an paratus of this characterwhich can be mounted back of a tractor and drawn across a field andserve to removedust and dirt from the ground and blow the same upongrass, grain, or low brush in order to extinguish flames.

[Another object ofthe invention is to provide a fire extinguishingapparatus including a, rotary brushwhich is rotated at sumcient speed topick up dust and dirt from the ground and throw the dirtdnto a spoutextending rearwardly from a hoodfor the brush,the said spout leading toa suction. fan whichblows the dirt through a discharge spout projectingrearwardly from the frame of the apparatus and so mounted thatit may beswung horizontally to adjusted positions and thus allow the dirtto bedistributed over a large area of grass or grain which it is desired toextinguish.

Another. object of the invention is to provide a fire extinguishingapparatus having scrapers mounted in front of its rotary brush so thatground may be broken up by the scrapers and thus reduced to fine dirtwhich may be readily taken up by the brush and thus supply a largequantity of dirt for extinguishing fire.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fire extinguisher havingthe spout of its brush hood extending rearwardly at an upward inclinefor communication with the suction fan, there being a hopper mountedover the upper or rear end of the spout so that dirt may be shoveledinto the hopper and pass therefrom'into the fan.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fire extinguisher havingits frame provided with sidebars which project forwardly and are adaptedto be pivotally mounted at opposite sides of a tractor, improved meansbeing provided for tilting the frame vertically to adjusted positionsand sup ortingthe frame in the adjusted position to hold the scrapersand the rotary brush in predeterm'ined relation to the ground. "Withthese and other objects in view the invention consists of a specialconstruction and arrangement of parts illustrated in theaccompanyingdrawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view showing the improved fire extinguishingapparatus hitched to a tractor.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the fire extinguishiii'g apparatus and thetractor.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view upon an enlarged scale showing thedischarge pipe and-its adjusting means partially in section andpartially in side elevation.

Fig. 4-is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view upon an enlarged scale takenalong the line 5-5 of Figure 2.

The tractor I to which the fire extinguishing apparatus has been shownapplied is of conventional construction and may be any dimensionsdesired. The usual front and rear wheels 2 and 3 are provided at sidesof the tractor and about these wheels pass endless tracks or treads 4 bymeans of which the tractor is moved along the ground. v

Y Theapparatus has a frame 5 which may be formed of metal or othersuitable material and has'side bars 5 joined at their rear ends by abridge orend bar 1. The side bars substantially midwaytheir ends toprovide portions 8 which connect the arms or front end portions 9 of theside bars with the rear portions thereof and upon referring to Figures 1and 2 it will be seen that these intermediate portions of the side barsextend rearwardly at an upward incline and also inwardly in convergingrelation to each other. Therefore the rear portion of the frame isoffset upwardly with respect to its forward portion and of less widththan the said forward portion. A cross bar In extends transversely ofthe frame between rear ends of the arms or forward portions 9 of thesidebars and from this cross bar extend supports II and H which extendlongitudinally of the frame and have their forward portions in the planeof the forward portion of the frame and are bent in spaced relation totheir front ends so that their rear portions are in the plane of therear portion of the frame. There have also been provided bars l3 and Mwhich extend transversely of the rear portion of the frame near thefront end thereof. Y l

The arms or front end portions Set the side cars are spaced from eachother that the frame may straddle the rear portion of the tractor withits arms, disposed along opposite sides thereof and have their frontends pivotally mounted by pins l5 for vertical swinging movement tovertically adjustthe frame. Posts I6 are mounted vertically upon thearms midway the length thereof and these postsare braced againstmovement out of a vertical position by braces I1 extending diagonallybetween front ends of the arms and upper ends of the posts. A drum I 8vertically and disposed transversely of the tractor at the front endthereof. After engaging the pulley 22 the cable extends rearwardly ofthe tractor and is engaged with a third pulley 25 carried by a rod 26extending transversely of the frame and supported upon upper ends of theposts 16, and from the pulley 25 the cable extends rearwardly at aanchored to the cross bar this cross bar, as shown at 21, or in anyother desired manner. By turning the drum the cable may be wound thereonor unwound from the drumand thefrarne thus raised or lowered andthen'held in the vertically adjusted position with scrapers 28 disposedin desired relation to the ground. These scrapers are carried byandextend downwardly from the cross bar it and yieldably heldagainstrearwardtilting movement by springs 29 andwhentheyare inengagement with the ground forward movement of the tractor and the framewill causethe scrapers to loosen the soil and reduce dry soil to finedirt. When the frame is swung upwardlyto a position in which thescrapers are out of contact with the ground the fire. extinguisher maybemoved from one place to another without interference by the scrapers. vu

The loose dirt is to b taken up and distributed upon burning grass orgrain and in order that the dirt maybe removed there has been provided arotary wire brush 30 which is rotably mounted bya shaft or axle 3|extending transversely of the frame and rotatably mounted in bearings 32carried by the supporting bars H and I2 and disposed back of thescrapers in rearwardly spaced relation thereto. 'An engine 33 is mountednear the front end of the rear portion of the frame and its shaftcarries a pulley 34 about which is engaged a belt 35 which'extendsdownwardly therefrom at a rearward incline and is engaged about a pulley36 carried by the shaft3l of the brush and imparts rapid rotary motionto the brush. A metal hood 3'! fits about thejupper portion of therotary brush and is provided with an outlet spout 38 whichextendsrearwardly'at an upward incline and at itsupper end is formed with aside extension or outlet 39 projecting from its inner side andcommunicating with the centrally located inlet 40 formed in a sidewallof the housing 4! of a suction fan or blower 42; This fan has ashaft 43 which extends transversely through the housing and has one endportion passing through the upper or rear end of the spout 33, the endportions of the shaft being rotatably mounted in bearings 44 carried bythe supporting bar 12 and one of the side bars of the frame. At itsinner end the shaft 43 carries a pulley 45 about which engages a belt43, the said belt extending downwardly from the pulley and having itslower portion engagedv about a pulley 41 carried by the shaft or axle 3|of the rotary brush. Therefore rotary motion will be transmitted fromthe brush shaft and during operation of the fire extinguisher the fanwill be operated and loose dirt sucked upwardly through the spout 3B andinto the fan housing from which downward incline and is [4 by tieing itabout it is discharged at high speed through the upwardly extendingoutlet neck 48 of the housing.

Dirt which is discharged from the fan housing through the neck 48 passesthrough a discharge pipe 49 which has its front end cut to form a spout50 and has its rear end portion formed. with a downwardly extending neck5|. The neck 5| is surrounded by a collar 52 having 'a depending flange53 about its peripheral edge, and about this flange are formed teeth 54.It will thus be seen that the collar serves as a gear as well as servingas a collar. The flange of the collar 52 fits snugly about a collar 55surrounding the neck 48 and between the two collars is disposed a thrustbearing 56 which is held in place by the flange 53 and allows the pipeto be turned easily about the neck of the fan housing. The pipe maytherefore be readily swung horizontally about the neck of the fanhousing and dirt blown through the pipe distributed over a large area.Horizontal swinging movement of the pipe is performed by a workman whooccupies the seat 51 and grasps th'ehand wheel 58 at the front end ofashaft 59 which is rotatably mounted through bearings 60 at the upperend of a support 6| carried by and projecting upwardly from the rearportion of the frame. At its rear end the shaft 59 carries a beveledpinion 62 which meshes with a companion pinion 63 carried by the upperend of a shaft 64 rotatably mounted through bearings, 65 at the rearside ofthe support or column 6|; Rotary motion will thus be transmittedfrom shaft'59 to shaft 64 and as this shaft 54 carries at its lower enda gear 66 which meshes with teeth of the gear formed by the collar 52the pipe 40 will be swung in an arcuate path about the to mix a powderedchemical with the dirt. In

orderto do so there has been provided a hopper 51 which is mounted abovethe rear portion of the frame and located at one side of the fanhousing. This hopper is open at its top so that the dirt may be shoveledinto it and at its bottom the hopper is formed with an outlet-opening 38towards which walls of the hopper slope. The outlet of the hopperregisters with an inlet opening 69 formed through the top of the sideextension 39 of the spout 38 and when dirt passes through the outlet 68and into the uper end of the spout it will be drawn into the fan housingby action. of the fan and then blown out of the fan housing through theneck 48 and discharged through the pipe 49 along with dirt which ispicked up by the rotary brush and sucked through the spout. A gate H!which is slidably mounted for movement across the outlet 68 into and outof closing relation thereto normally closes this opening so that airwillnot be drawn inwardly from the hopper when the hopper is empty andreduce suction through the spout 38, and upon referring to Figure 5 .itwill be seen that the outer end of the door is bent downwardly to form alip H by means of, which the door may be grasped and readily shiftedlongitue dinally to an opened or closed position. u

. Having thus described the invention, whatis claimed-is: v 1. A firefighting attachment for a tractor comprising a main frame including sidebars aving parallel front and rear portions and intermediate portionsextending rearwardly and upwardly at an inward incline between the saidfront and rear portions, a bridging bar extending transversely of theframe between front ends of the side bars, a cross bar extendingtransversely of said frame between rear ends of the said front portionsof the sidebars, said frame being of a width adapting its forwardportion to straddle the rear portion of a tractor and front ends of itsside bars being adapted to be pivoted to opposite sides of the tractorfor vertical tilting movement to adjusted positions, posts extendingupwardly from the side bars in forwardly spaced relation tofront andrear ends of the front portions thereof, braces for said posts extendingdiagonally between upper ends of said posts and front ends of said sidebars, a rod supported transversely of said frame between upper ends ofsaid posts, a pulley upon said rod midway its length, an auxiliary frameadapted to be mounted upright upon said tractor across the front endthereof and having a cross rod, a pulley midway its length, a drumcarried by said tractor, a cable wound upon said drum and trained aboutsaid pulleys with a portion extending rearwardly of the main frame fromthe tractor and secured to the rear portion of the main frame adjacentthe front end of the said rear portion thereof, supports extendingrearwardly from said cross bar, scrapers carried by and extendingdownwardly from said cross bar between said supports, a shaft rotatablymounted between said supports, a rotary brush carried by said shaft, anengine carried by the rear portion of said frame, means for transmittingrotary motion from said engine to said rotary shaft, a hood mountedabout the upper portion of said brush and having a spout extendingrearwardly therefrom at an upward incline, a suction fan mounted in therear portion of said frame and including a housing hav ing an inlet at acenter of one side with which the upper end of the spout communicated,means for transmitting rotary motion from the brush shaft to the suctionfan, a discharge pipe leading from the fan housing and mounted forhorizontal swing movement to adjusted positions, a hopper mounted overthe rear portion of said frame and communicating with the upper end ofsaid spout, and a movable closure for controlling flow of material fromsaid hopper into said spout.

2. A fire extinguishing apparatus comprising a frame adapting to bemounted longitudinally of a tractor and project rearwardly therefrom,

said frame having side bars spaced from each other a distance adaptingthem to extend forwardly along opposite sides of the tractor and bepivotally connected therewith for vertical tilting movement to adjustedpositions, posts extending upwardly from said bars in spaced relaframefor tion to front ends thereof, a rod supported transversely of saidframe upon upper ends of said posts, a pulley carried by said rod, adrum adapted to be rotatably mounted at the rear of the said tractor, acable wound about said drum and trained about said pulley with a portionextending rearwardly therefrom and secured to said frame for supportingthe frame in a vertically adjusted position, a shaft rotatably mountedtransversely of said frame rearwardly of said tractor, a rotary brushcarried by said shaft, a cross bar mounted transversely of said frameforwardly of said brush, scrapers carried by and extending downwardlyfrom said cross bar, a hood about the upper portion of said brush havinga spout extending rearwardly therefrom at upward incline, a' suction fanin the rear p0rtion of said frame including a housing having a centerinlet one side communicating with the rear end of said spout and anoutlet neck extending upwardly from its rear portion, a hopper mountedover and communicating with the rear end of said spout, an adjustableclosure for the outlet of said hopper, an engine carried by said drivingthe brush shaft and the suction fan, and a discharge pipe leading fromthe neck of said fan.

3, A fire extinguishing apparatus constituting an attachment for atractor and comprising a frame adapted to be mounted back of a tractorand drawn forwardly thereby, a rotary brush rotatably mountedtransversely of said frame, scrapers carried by said frame in advance ofsaid brush, a hood for said brush having a rearwardly extending spout, asuction fan carried by said frame and having an inlet communicating withsaid spout, said fan having an outlet neck extending upwardly at itsrear, a discharge pipe extending rearwardly from said frame and havingits front end rotatably mounted ,upon the upper end of said neck andthereby pivotally mounted for horizontal swinging movement to adjustedpositions, a gear about the front end of said pipe, a vertical supportcarried by said frame forwardly of said mounted across the upper end ofsaid support and having a wheel at its front end and a bevelled pinionat its other end, and a second shaft rotatably mounted vertically alongsaid support rearwardly thereof and having at its upper end a bevelledpinion meshingwith the first pinion and at its lower end a gear meshingwith the gear about said pipe.

JOHN E. HURLBERT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent and in the parent case:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,176,408 Skrzyszewski Mar. 21,1916 1,982,192 Baumgarten Nov. 2, 1934 2,132,790 Jeswine .1 Oct. 11,11938 pipe, a shaft rotatably

